Tuesday, August 10, 1982 (continued)
We only stayed a
few minutes at Karen's before we took off at 14:30, with Kathy driving on the Los Angeles
freeways. We had no problem following CA 91 north to CA 60 west to US 101 to
Hollywood. Following signs, we exited Lankershim Boulevard and took the next
right up the hill into Universal City Studios parking lot which cost $1.50.
At the end of our row we waited for the shuttle tram to take us to the main entrance. There were many ticket booths with short lines, so we were able to get our $12 Disneyland Passports/tickets right away.
We entered Disneyland, going under the railroad to Main Street USA, a bustling street full of busy olde tyme shops and even a bank.
Next we explored the Swiss Family Robinson tree house built from shipwreck salvage, with its running water and furnished multi-level rooms.
In Frontierland we boarded the Mark Twain Steamboat for a tour around Tom Sawyer’s Island, past an old sailing ship, rafts and canoes, and an Indian village.
Saw hippos, gazelles, ostriches, and bison. Many of the animal areas were double-size, with one side being the spare while the other is being cleaned. We bought popcorn at one refreshment stand, and very soon afterwards needed to get drinks!
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| Universal City Studios parking ticket |
On the walkway we followed an equally ignorant group the wrong way, but turned the correct way after passing the Harper Valley County Fair which seemed to have amusement rides and arcade games.
We bought our entrance tickets, normally $9.75 each, but with Kathy’s AAA discount, we paid a total of $17.50.
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| Universal City Studios receipt |
After passing a couple souvenir shops and refreshment stands, we entered through turnstiles and were given a pass for the tram tour at 17:00. It was only 15:30. We wandered past the numerous shops and eateries to the special attractions. First Dracula’s Castle, a large dark amphitheater with a spooky castle on the stage. The show began at 15:40 with Renfield (a Dracula minion) coming out and drooling all over the audience. Dracula rises out of his coffin to pick three audience members to join him for dinner and they are taken backstage; two are girls and one is a very reluctant man. Frankenstein and his wife amble in not very professionally, and there is a flash of light and the sound of flapping wings. Bats? No, pigeons flew on stage.
A tower turns around to reveal the male “volunteer” strapped on a rack. He gets stretched until he gets angry and suddenly becomes the Hulk. The Werewolf and Mummy join the chaos and the Hulk tries to do away with Dracula who, of course, survives. After the show, they asked that anyone who wants to be in the next show to wait. So only Renfield, Dracula, and the Hulk are the professionals.
Next door at 16:10 was the Animal Performers act, to see a puppy being trained, dogs walking dogs, a cat chase a super rat, a bird fly through hoops and against the wind from a fan, Fred the Cockatoo from Baretta do a series of tricks, a boy volunteer was blindfolded and a rat crawled up on him, and there was the dog Jack from Little House on the Prairie.
Yet again next door for the 16:30 show of stuntmen, three who performed Western fist fights, shooting, splattering blood, falling off buildings, etc.
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| Universal City Studios stunt show |
We got drinks then joined the long line for the tram ride. There were TV set up to show movie reviews. After an hour we boarded the open trams (World’s Fair style) and drove past the studio lots, looking like a town of varied façades. As we rounded a corner we were held up by space creatures and kidnapped onto a spaceship. A young man in a spacesuit saved us from the creature on his throne and laser beams. Somewhere along the way we entered an ice cave and experienced the rumbling and tumbling of an avalanche. We headed down the hill, past a house that burst into flames, but would never burn because it was made from nonflammable materials.
We got off the tram to see Edith Head’s costume design studio with sketches and models of some of the costumes, such as from The Sting. Went to a soundstage to see special effects, such as how monsters are animated and how Fred Astaire was able to dance on walls and ceilings. In another section of the soundstage they showed how subjects could be filmed and another background put in, and a couple from the audience were filmed flying over New York City. We saw the 2-foot pink submarine from Operation Petticoat. On to a third stage to see spaceships filmed for computer movement and the computer programmed to make the moving picture.
Another group from the tram went through a twin costume design studio and soundstage! Back on the tram we passed the storage facilities full of property and autos used in movies, including Burt Reynold’s police cars.
We rounded a corner to a rickety bridge that started falling apart as we approached it, but we crossed nevertheless and it began to collapse. We dropped maybe a foot, but the fun was spoiled by the driver’s narration who had to warn us about everything that was to come. We descended further into the set lots and experienced a rain storm and a flash flood in a Mexican town, saw the Western town façades, a showboat, parting of the Red Sea, and many suburban homes on a typical suburban street. We saw Beaver Cleaver’s house, the Harper Valley PTA house, and many others. We passed the Tower of London, and entered Amityville and were forewarned about Jaws. We saw a fisherman in a boat disappear under water and a float taken as bait, and since it was attached to the dock pile, the pile was pulled away and the dock we were on tipped. Whoa! That was unexpected! But where is Jaws? He suddenly reared up along next to the tram!
We also passed green fields and a lake, and were taken back to the special attractions area. It was 19:30 and we wanted to see the Comedy Screen Test Show at 20:10. We got our hands stamped and went outside the park to look for a place to get a quick meal. There was the Victorian Station Restaurant and a restaurant in a wagon wheel factory called Womphoppers, but no fast food. So we checked out the souvenir shops and Kathy bought some cherry drops to nibble as we waited for the show. At 20:00, the director came out to pick 25 people from the audience to go backstage. The show began at 20:10 and was being videotaped. Two kids guarded a safe and a line of people stood at a bank. A grandma came in past the sleeping guard and handed a huge carpet bag to the bank clerk. Four bank robbers arrive to hold up the bank and grab grandma’s carpet bag.
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| Jaws! (KC) |
The next scene showed the robbers getting away on four realistic looking rocking horses, being chased by a posse. Next scene, four bank robbers jump into a river (real water!), then two are shown rowing a boat and retrieving the carpet bag from the water. But the boat springs a leak and they throw the bag up into the air.
Next scene, a prison escapee is struggling with a sheriff atop a train, and he sees the falling bag and snatches it out of the air. His friend flies overhead in a plane and the escapee grabs the plane to get away. Uh-oh, now they are having plane problems and the plane flips, causing the carpet bag to fall out. It is retrieved by the Blues Brothers who return it to grandma. The carpet bag contains cream pies and the show ends with a cream pie fight. The video was then edited into a movie with clips from all sorts of other movies with all sorts of movie stars. Hilarious! Of course, the video movie was available for sale!
We left Universal as people started arriving for a Rick Springfield concert. Took US 101 and got off at Sunset Boulevard to cruise down Sunset Strip. It was fairly respectable in Hollywood, but farther along we saw more sex shops and more prostitutes. Two guys in a pickup truck honked and yelled “Hey, New Yorker!” as they passed us. Kathy and I looked at each other, then when we noticed they had New York license plates, we waved back enthusiastically!
At about 21:00 we stopped at an Arby’s for dinner, then headed back to Karen’s place. Met Margaret and talked from 22:00 until bedtime.
Wednesday, August 11, 1982
This morning we left at 9:30, with Karen, to go to Disneyland in Anaheim. It was foggy and smoggy, and the freeways were crowded with people zipping in and out, and others traveling slow in the left lane, etc. We paid the fee and parked in the huge parking lot, getting a map to mark where you had parked. We were in section V, row 3.
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| Disneyland parking map |
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| Disneyland parking map |
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| Disneyland Passport/ticket |
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| Disneyland Main Street USA |
There was an old firehouse, trolley tracks, and the main train station at the head of the street. We turned at the Central Plaza to Adventureland, first going to the 11:00 show at the Enchanted Tiki-Room. A room was full of wooden carved tiki/man-heads representing different gods, and suddenly each one went into action. Rain from the rain god and fire from the fire god, etc. Next we entered a theater full of stuffed parrots and other tropical birds who put on a musical show along with singing orchids and carved totem poles, and drumming tikis.
Joined a long line for the Jungle Cruise. We boarded a boat and went off for a jungle adventure with a really enthusiastic guide, passing various jungle animals and savages, and under waterfalls.
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| Jungle Cruise elephants |
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| Jungle Cruise spouting elephant |
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| Swiss Family Robinson Tree House |
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| Frontierland |
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| Indian Village |
We saw “moose” and “elk” and “bear.”
In the line for the Thunder Mountain Railroad, we ate pretzels and granola clusters, and drank water from our thermoses. Then we got on the ride, which was a roller coaster!
In Tomorrowland we went to Adventure Thru Inner Space, where our cars went through a microscope-affair and we were shrunk small enough to examine the insides of a snowflake, to see atoms, etc. We had to wait an hour or so at Space Mountain. The line was deceiving, as it went back and forth on the terrace, but once inside, we had more back and forth. We entered the spaceport, boarded and shot off on another thrilling roller coaster ride, all in the dark with lighted stars and planets! We bought lunch at the space Place and took it up to the terrace overlooking the stage for the 15:00 show of It’s Show Biz, a musical song and dance revue.
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| It's Show Biz revue |
I had spareribs, Kathy had a hot dog, and Karen had a chicken sandwich. After the show, we went to see America Sings in the Carousel Theater. The stage revolved to show animatronic animals singing different genres of American songs. There was a presentation by Bell Systems where they put the telephone area codes of the visitors up on a board, then called Australia for the weather. At one point we were told to wave at the people passing in the People Mover, who were being told we were an animatronic display. The whole place was full of encouragement to smile and wave, and applaud.
We saw America, the Beautiful, the 360 degree movie of scenes across the United States. Then we went on the People Mover which took us around Tomorrowland and through a tunnel with streaming lights so that it felt like we were zooming into outer space.
We followed the end of a parade to get to It’s a Small World, where we boarded small boats to see the multi-national dolls singing the theme song in different languages.
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| It's a Small World pavilion |
After ice cream, we rode Alice in Wonderlands spinning teacups through cardboard figures. Saw scenes illustrating the fairy tale in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Waited in a line at the Haunted Mansion, where the ride’s cars took us down an elevator that appeared to be a room stretching taller. All kinds of neato ghosts!
In Bear Country we attended the Country Bear Jamboree, a country-western musical revue done by animatronic bears. The animation of all these figures is usually amazingly realistic.
We went to New Orleans Square to join the line for the Pirates of the Caribbean. We figured we have walked miles and miles in these back and forth lines in Disneyland! This time our ride was on boats. We saw a paraplegic do a wonderful transfer into the boat! We started off at “dusk” by the restaurant, and whoops, the boat went down a chute! We passed a pirate battle and towns of pirate revelry in the night.
We decided to stay for the Electric Light Parade, but still had 20 minutes before it began. I called my Great-Aunt Ruth M to get directions to their house and an invitation to breakfast. Uncle Mac let me know he was talking on his portable telephone!
I returned at 20:45 where the All American College Marching Band with a dancing cheerleading team was entertaining the crowd. At 20:50 the lights went out. It was rather enchanting to see the bright floats made up of millions of colorful little Christmas tree bulbs, depicting fairy tale characters and with loud music emanating from them. We stayed for nearly the whole parade, but left early to beat the crowds.
We took the tram back to the parking lot. Got gas and found our way back to CA 91 to Riverside. There we got dinner at the McDonald’s just before it closed at 23:00. Margaret was already in bed. Kathy called her foster brother Hui, then went to bed. Karen wanted to talk.
Thursday, August 12, 1982
Karen and I were up until at least 1:00. I was up again to visit with Margaret a bit before she left for work. Karen waved us off about 8:00 and we headed toward Huntington Beach, taking CA 91 to CA 55 west towards the coast, then Interstate 405 north. Exited at Magnolia Street and found our way southward to Landmark Condominiums. At the gate we said we were here to see the McGraths, and since we were expected the guard let us in and pointed out the proper building. We parked and as we walked up to the building, a lady on a balcony called out to us. It was Great-Aunt Ruth and we went up to their 2nd floor condominium. We were shown around the two bedroom, two bath apartment with an original microwave and a storage closet. A few minutes later Uncle Mac came in with the dachshund Rosie, and he showed us the portable phone! When Jill arrived about 10:00, I showed them the family photos, then we went out to breakfast to Norm’s, a Denny’s type restaurant. I had sausage and scrambled eggs with sourdough toast, and Kathy had pancakes. The others had eggs and Uncle Mac also had biscuits and gravy. A much more substantial breakfast than usual!
After breakfast Jill took a picture of us and she had to leave. The rest of us returned to the condominium complex, going in through a back gate and using a magnetic card to open the gate. Then the garage doors opened automatically. Uncle Mac gave us some discount cards for the San Diego Zoo, and Aunt Ruth slipped a twenty-dollar bill in my hand. Kathy and I left about 11:00 to follow the Pacific Coast Highway/CA 1 south through the haze under overcast skies. We passed through towns where we saw surfers and only had glimpses of the semi-crowded sand beaches. After a stop to cash checks, we decided to head inland at Oceanside to I-5 to travel faster to San Diego. Followed signs right to the zoo and found a parking space fairly close to the entrance. The AAA discount and Uncle Mac’s discount cards were only for the deluxe tours, and we just got the basic admission ticket for $4. It was a hot and sunny day as we wandered around the zoo full of plants and trees; more like walking through a jungle. We went through the reptile house, passed some birds and the children’s zoo, before heading down to wards Africa.
Saw a female zookeeper walking a cheetah, one of the performing animals who has the summer off but needs to keep up human contact.
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| Acinonyx jubatus/Cheetah |
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| Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata/Reticulated Giraffe |
We passed under the Skyride, saw deer, kangaroos, birds, including a hummingbird that flew right by us! Hyenas, wild dogs, coatimundis, and various cat species. Seals and sea lions, with one impossibly huge sea lion. Found a small koala hiding in a tree near the modern breeding building. Bears, camels, elephants, rhinos, and somehow ended up back down by the big cats. Took a series of escalator ramps back up the hill to see apes, gorillas, orangutans, and monkeys. More birds.
We rode the Skyride aerial cable cars just before they closed at 18:00, which took us really high above the zoo.
We couldn’t just stay on for the ride back, and had to get off,
walk down and around to board the ride again. On the way back we noticed the
Chinese Acrobatic Show was beginning, so ran down to watch. One guy was riding
a unicycle and had a long pick in his mouth. He was throwing perhaps avocadoes
into the audience, and the people were supposed to toss them so that he could
try to spear them with the pick. Most of the throws were terrible and the
fellow came near to riding into the surrounding seal pool. Then he rode another
bicycle in many ways, rearranging the shape of the bike as he went. Two girls
did the spinning plate act while contorting their bodies. Then one stood on her
head on the other girls’ head, and they kept their plates spinning. There were
some tumbling acts, and the finale was to get as many people as they could on
one bicycle; eleven people!
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| Skyride |
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| Skyride view of gorillas |
The hummingbird
exhibit was closed. Good thing we saw the escapee earlier! Wandered in the gift
shop and got a free poster of “The Hip(po) Place to Go.”
We tried to drive
out of San Diego on I-5 and ended up on the Scenic Highway. We followed it
north hoping to run into I-5, when it took us out the peninsula with a ritzy
hotel and restaurant complex, a marina, and a gong bell from Yokohama, San
Diego’s sister city in Japan! As the road looped around, we found ourselves at
the gate of a military installation!
We filled up on
gas, consulted a map, and got back to I-5, cutting over to I-15 and headed
north, taking Interstate 10 east, then CA 62 to Yucca Valley to find a motel
with a vacancy. We got a room for $33 at the Sands Motel at about 23:00. Turned
on the sir conditioner and went to bed after drinking teeny bottles of Dr.
Pepper.
Next: Las Vegas.
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